White
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: He knew this was all for him, that she had trained all those weeks so that he could hear her now. She was only singing for him. And it was his favorite song. But he stood immediately when he saw the tears brimming. People instantly started muttering judgmentally. He longed to silence them all. But then his daughter collapsed... [A story of Weiss and her father].


**Wrote this really quickly today and told myself it would be short and here we are 2,500 words later...**

**At this point in time, some friends and I have decided to call Weiss' parents by the names Reiner and Kai. In this fic, her father isn't as much of an asshole as the fandom likes to make him out to be, and her mother has passed.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

White

Today was the day.

It was Weiss' recital, the biggest performance of her life in her seven years thus far. She had been training with her singing teachers for months, every day two hours a day after school and in lessons. Even when she had caught a cold and her nose was runny and her voice was stuffy, she had gone to her practices and sang.

Because this recital wasn't going to be like the previous performances of her being one person in a choir or a multiple singers' piece; today Weiss would be singing her own solo. And she would be singing a very special song for a very special someone.

Her father always seemed so tired whenever Weiss came home from school. He would smile a little and pat her head, but he hardly ever said anything to her. Sometimes he would be shouting and bellowing about something, and that frightened her deeply.

Once, a few weeks prior, she had ventured into his office as he had been yelling into the phone about one thing or another in regards to the company. Weiss had offered him a blue wildflower she had found, holding it out to him shyly with both hands.

But he had turned around and shouted at her: _"Why can't you do anything right?"_

Her heart had hurt more than ever before as she dropped her flower and stepped back, tears brimming in her eyes that were wide with fear before she dashed out of his office and retreated to her quarters.

She... never wanted to see him angry ever again.

And that was why she had decided to practice for her recital so diligently. She wanted this performance to be perfect, just for him.

She was still a bit nervous though; never before had he missed any of her events, but now she was worried that he might.

_What if he's... still mad at me?_

She shuddered as she looked into her mirror at present, hugging herself. She didn't ever want him to be angry or upset about anything, especially not her. But the only thing she could do now was make her song perfect for him.

She un-ruffled her lily-white dress and made sure her hair was tied neatly into the usual ponytail. She always needed to wear white, she had decided, after something her father had once told her long ago: "_White can be altered. You can make it any color at all._"

So she wanted to always wear white; she wanted to be whichever color he wished her to be.

She glanced at the clock – it was almost time to leave. Slipping into her best white shoes, Weiss left her room and headed down the steps to the parlor, expecting to see her father.

But it was only her maid who waited for her, and Weiss peeked around her dress. "Where's Father?" she wondered.

The woman offered a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Miss. He's still at his meeting. I don't know if he'll be able to make it to your recital."

Weiss' shoulders slumped.

"But... But he promised..."

"Miss," said the maid. "Promises can't always be kept. Some things are more important." She took the little girl's hand with a sigh. "Come along then. The car is waiting."

Weiss cast one last glance over her shoulder, as if doing so would magically make her father appear.

But it didn't.

It never did.

She hung her head and limped out to the car.

* * *

Reiner was late.

He knew he was going to be late. That was why he had postponed the latter half of his meeting for another time. But still, he was going to be late. He just hoped he would be able to see Weiss.

His calm demeanor and professional composure were shattered the second he got to his car, ordering a prompt ride to his daughter's school. Even when he arrived, he didn't adjust his tie and flatten his suit until he was in the stadium.

The performances had already begun, but something told him he hadn't missed Weiss'. As a parent of one of the performing children, a seat head been reserved for him in one of the front rows.

He left his servants at the entrance of the room, ordering that word somehow get to his daughter that he was here now before he slipped along the walls and slowly made his way to his seat.

He heard the murmurs of his name, both shocked that he was late and that he was here at all. He cursed them all in his mind.

And he also cursed himself. It still pained him to remember the time he had shouted with Weiss in the room; an enraged comment at an incompetent worker had been seemingly directed toward his young daughter due to his _own_ incompetence.

He would never forget the look of terror in her eyes before she had run away from him in fear. The last thing he ever wanted was to hurt her – to _lose _her, too...

And yet, that seemed to be all he was doing.

The incident had been months ago, and ever since, he had found her scarcer and scarcer in his presence.

The little blue flower she had brought for him had remained guiltily on his desk for several days afterward until it had wilted. But he had procured a fresh one this evening, and presently curled his fingers about it in his pocket.

And then her name was called. It echoed about the room and he could almost taste the expectance on the air. The world was pressuring her to perform well; he only wanted her to have fun.

Straightening his back, he lifted his chin proudly as the red curtains parted.

* * *

Weiss stood still backstage as her turn approached, closer and closer every second.

She had never been nervous before an audience in the past, but now she was shaking and she didn't know why.

Feeling a warmth in her eyes, she brushed her sleeve over her face. But then, one of the teachers called her over.

Her father was here.

Weiss' eyes lit up like shooting stars across the night sky. She was confident now; she was certain she would be able to sing her song perfectly if she knew he was there – it _was_ for him, after all.

A few moments later, the sounds of clapping rose up as the previous performance came to an end. Weiss heard her name over the microphone and inhaled deeply, puffing out her chest. She made sure to walk with her back straight and eyes forward, poised and proper, just as she had always been taught. She was a Schnee.

She strutted to the center of the stage to where the microphone waited, thousands of eyes upon her. She squinted a little as her vision adjusted to the bright lights, using it as an excuse to scan the crowd.

She saw him, sitting in the front row, looking up at her with an unreadable expression. He was here.

But... what if he was still mad?

She couldn't care less about the hundreds of others watching her – she only cared about him.

What if she messed up? After practicing for so long just to make this perfect?

The music started to play and she was jolted back into reality. She waited until the right moment before she parted her lips and started to sing.

But in her nervousness, she had forgotten to take a breath before beginning. The words ended up being a little cracked as she stumbled over them. She saw him wince, and to her it looked like disapproval.

She was embarrassing him.

She felt her cheeks contort, felt the sting behind her eyes. She kept going, but her voice was thick now, and she had to choke back more sobs. She was _so nervous._And now she was only embarrassing him further.

The tears started to drip down her face, landing in fat puddles at her feet. _No... Don't cry! No, no, no, not here! Not now, please!_

Her chest tightened as the music continued to play. She opened her mouth, trying desperately to scramble back into the verse.

She forgot the words.

Weiss froze, looking up at the scrutinizing crowds with panicked eyes. She wanted to run away, but she was shaking too much.

_But it's... it's his favorite song..._

Weiss felt horrible. She wanted to disappear. She tried to swallow, but her breath hitched and she choked on another sob.

Then, a pitiful whimper mixed in with the music as she feel to her knees.

* * *

Reiner watched proudly as his daughter took her place on stage.

She was wearing white again. Ever since he had told her that white could be dyed any color, she always chose to wear it. But he got the feeling she was waiting for instruction on _his_ behalf of which color it should be made into...

He tensed as the music started playing. It was a very familiar song.

Her gaze met his for a brief second – so brief he wasn't sure if she had even realized it. But he had seen her eyes.

She was... utterly terrified.

He knew this was all for him, that she had trained all those weeks so that he could hear her now. She was only singing for him. And it was his favorite song.

But he stood immediately when he saw the tears brimming. People instantly started muttering judgmentally. He longed to silence them all.

But then his daughter collapsed.

He didn't care what anyone said after that. His reputation be damned.

He pushed to the side of the stage and rushed up the steps before kneeling down beside her. "Weiss?" He spoke gently, putting a palm to her wet cheek and titling her face upward so he could see her eyes. They were misted over and scared, an expression he never wanted to see on her precious face.

"D-Daddy...?" She was shaking. "I-I'm... I'm sorry-" Her voice cut off on a hiccup. She thought she had embarrassed him. She was ashamed of herself. It was clear in her distressed eyes.

Reiner knew this was his fault to begin with. "Come here, honey." He coaxed her to her feet, staying on his knees so he was at face-level with her. He pulled the blue flower from his pocket and tucked it into her hair. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. Daddy's the one who's sorry. I didn't mean to yell... I was never mad at you. _I'm_ sorry, Weiss."

Why was he only telling her all of this now? After she had lived so many weeks believing he was upset with her? He was a damn coward.

He pulled her close for a gentle hug before kissing the top of her head. "One more time. Come on, you can do it," he encouraged, squeezing her hand. "I want to hear your song."

Weiss gazed back at him, biting her lip to stop it from trembling as more tears fell down. Then she nodded.

Reiner ruffled her hair before standing, making a waving motion to have them restart the music that had been stopped. The crowd grew silent again, intrigued now.

The music started once more, and he kept hold of her hand, squeezing gently. Reiner cleared his throat, allowing a rare smile to come to his mouth as he was immersed in the familiar tune.

He felt his daughter's fingers curl around his as he began to sing.

* * *

When her father had spoken her name and looked down into her eyes, Weiss was sure she was going to be yelled at again; he was so mad he had even come up on stage to scold her.

But that never happened.

His hands were warm and gentle, and they caught her tears.

She felt him kiss her head, tuck a flower behind her ear, felt him pull her to her feet, felt his hand around hers.

He started to sing.

Weiss gazed up at him in wonder. Never before had she ever heard him sing, and she had to wonder if it was something he used to do before her mother had passed.

He looked... happy now. Happier than she had seen him in years. His eyes were alive.

Weiss smiled too, blinking away the last of her tears as her voice joined his. Her clear soprano was supported beautifully by his strong tenor, and together they went through the verses of the song.

The world was watching, but they only sang for one another.

* * *

When it was over, Reiner led Weiss offstage to the back.

He was certain he would be hearing rumors and disapproving words for weeks to come, but he could deal with such troubles if they did arise. He could deal with anything, so long as he had Weiss; he had lost his soulmate, but his angel lived on.

Presently, he knelt down before her and brought her to him in a soft embrace. "Thank you, Weiss. Your song was lovely, honey. Thank you so much..."

Was this... the first time he had hugged her since Kai had died? He cursed himself again.

Weiss shuffled her feet, her eyes flicking uncertainly up to him.

"So you... you liked it? You're... You're not mad at me?" Her voice wavered again.

Reiner bent down to scoop her up into her arms, hearing a soft squeak as she clung to his shoulders.

"Weiss, I was never mad at you, honey." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I loved your song. And I love _you_."

Her eyes started to sparkle again and she leaned in to kiss his nose.

"I love you too, Daddy!"

He smiled warmly, from the bottom of his heart.

"Mommy loved your song, too," he murmured as he let her back down. She was silent for a moment, and he knew she was praying to Kai.

Then, Weiss lifted her head again.

"I wore white again," she said. "Do you know what color you want me to be yet?"

Reiner paused before kneeling down to her.

"Weiss... it doesn't matter what color anyone else wants you to be. White is the best color because _you_ get to dye it yourself. Or you can leave it just as it is. I'm happy with whatever you choose. I just want _you_ to choose for yourself."

She listened to his words seriously, and he knew she understood now. Her free hand went thoughtfully to the light blue flower in her hair, and her eyes went to the red curtains around her that saw her through every performance...

"Okay!" she nodded.

He lifted her up into his arms again, deciding he should start making up for lost contact with her. He hugged her once more and felt her return the gesture.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Didn't you have a meeting today?"

Reiner chuckled as he pulled away, looking into her eyes before he kissed her forehead.

"Some things are more important."

Weiss smiled and kissed his cheek.

* * *

**A/N: Ahh gosh this was nice to write now, but just wait until we find out how much of a jerk he probably is in-canon ahaha ;u; But as things stand, I still like to believe he could be a nice guy! (Also yes reasons Weiss' outfit it what it is ahaha)**

**Please review!**


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